Preparing for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing has a disproportionately higher impact on small beef farms, according to a recent report published by the Andersons Centre.
The associated costings were outlined in the work, which was commissioned by the Ulster Farmers Union in tandem with the Livestock and Meat Commission and the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland.
Despite often having smaller holdings, beef farmers interviewed for the report confirmed that the logistics of preparing for a bTB test are consistently more complex for them than would be the case on a dairy farm.
Fragmentation of these businesses plays a key role in this regard, the report said.
Many beef herds operate across multiple parcels of land, often dispersed across satellite outfarms or on rented ground.
Testing costs
Relative to the scale of some of these farming operations, gathering cattle for testing requires substantial labour inputs: typically 12-20 hours per test.
This can rise to 30 hours or more on very fragmented holdings.
As a consequence, most farms relied on two or possibly up to four people for testing, often supplemented by family members taking time out from their main jobs to help.
Linked with all of this is the transporting of animals for testing and the associated costs this process entails.
Farmers have confirmed the need for two to three days of vehicle use per test, including trailers, alongside the fuel and labour needed to bring animals on outlying land to a central testing point.
For some farmers, these logistics became the most burdensome aspect of the entire testing process.
Labour requirements
Beyond the test itself, beef farms faced a number of ongoing labour and operational impacts.
Retained stock require extra feeding, bedding. and monitoring, particularly when animals are housed for longer periods than intended.
A number of farmers claimed that ongoing labour requirements during a breakdown equated to an additional three to five working days per episode, representing an additional cost of £1,500-£3,000 once labour and overheads were accounted for.
Some beef farmers also indicated that, during testing, they are forced to hire machinery operators during peak periods, as testing can displace essential tasks such as silage making, fencing, and pasture management.
This can create knock-on delays, affecting field conditions.
In the event of a bTB breakdown, farmers in Northern Ireland are highly exposed to movement restrictions, given their reliance on the timely sale of weanlings, stores, or finished cattle.